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Protein Pancakes come together quickly in the blender, are full of protein, and are gluten-free with no refined sugar. But we’re not sacrificing on flavor or texture – they’re still fluffy and delicious! Make them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – because breakfast food is the best food.
This recipe was originally published in Jan of 2019 but I just updated it with new photos and a few more tips & tricks. The recipe now has a bit more baking soda and protein, but overall is basically the same.
These easy protein pancakes are incredibly easy to make, while still tasting as delicious as regular pancakes! Let’s walk it through.
Why you’ll love this Protein Pancake recipe:
- Protein Packed Pancakes – Add your favorite protein powder to these pancakes – it’s a great way to get a high-protein breakfast.
- Easy Blender Recipe – These fluffy pancakes come together in the blender in no time!
- Simple Ingredients – This recipe is made with simple, wholesome ingredients like oats, eggs, bananas, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Ingredient Overview:
- Oats – We’re starting with old-fashioned whole rolled oats and blending them on their own, before adding the other ingredients, to turn them into oat flour.
- Banana – A ripe banana provides sweetness and a nice texture to these pancakes. It also makes them taste like banana bread in pancake form!
- Eggs – Eggs give structure to the pancakes – be sure to use large eggs.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup adds sweetness to these pancakes. It technically is added sugar, but it’s unrefined sugar.
- Protein Powder – Use any protein powder you like in this recipe, whether whey protein, vegan protein powder, or vital proteins collagen peptides.
- Baking Powder – This helps make these fluffy protein pancakes!
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Dairy-free – This recipe is dairy-free as is!
- Gluten-free – These pancakes are gluten-free as is! Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you have celiac disease.
- Maple Syrup – Honey should work in place of maple syrup. You can also lessen the maple syrup by 1-2 tbsp if you want.
- Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes – Add chocolate chips to the pancakes as they cook to make pancakes that taste like chocolate chip banana bread, while still being relatively healthy protein pancakes.
How to Make Flourless Pancakes:
Step 1: Make the Oat Flour. Blend your oats first – congratulations, you just made oat flour!
Step 2: Blend up the Pancake Batter. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender, and blend until everything is combined. You’l have a thin, runny batter – this is normal.
Step 3: Cook the Pancakes. Pour the batter onto your heated griddle using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. The pancakes are ready to flip when they’ve puffed up a bit and have some bubbles on top!
You can also lift the edge of the pancake with your flipper – if it’s golden brown on bottom, time to flip!
Serving + Storing:
Serve these protein powder pancakes warm, with maple syrup, or with greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and maple syrup or honey. Store cooked, cooled pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-6 days.
See note above under FAQs about freezing and thawing pancakes. Try my Gluten-Free Maple Granola or my Healthy Banana Chocolate Muffins for more healthy breakfasts!
Expert Success Tips:
- Cooking perfect pancakes – If your pancakes are getting too dark or starting to burn, turn the heat down a bit. If you have a hard time flipping pancakes, use a second flipper or silicone spatula to help scoot the pancake all the way onto the flipper, for a cleaner flip.
- Blending the Oats – Be sure to blend the oats first, by themselves, as specified in the recipe. Whole oats will not give a pleasant texture to the recipe, which is why we pulse them into oat flour first.
- Keeping Pancakes Warm – Keep cooked pancakes on a baking sheet covered with foil or a kitchen towel as you continue cooking the rest.
FAQs:
Yes you can!
Yes! You can freeze them in an airtight container and thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven, microwave, toaster, or toaster oven. I will reheat 1-2 pancakes at a time out of the freezer by popping them in the toaster.
The amount of protein depends on your serving size and type of protein powder. In one batch of these pancakes (8 pancakes), without the protein powder, there is 5 grams of protein per pancake. The vital proteins collagen protein powder that i used adds 5 grams of protein to each pancake, so 8 pancakes will have about 10 grams of protein each, give or take depending on the brand you use. My nutrition calculator calculated 19g of protein per pancake.
Special Tools:
- Griddle – I highly recommend using a griddle to cook your pancakes. It cooks more evenly and you can make more at once than in a large nonstick skillet, reducing the time between making the batter and eating the pancakes. Heh. This is the griddle we use and love (affiliate link)!
More Pancake Recipes to Love:
More Breakfast Recipes to Love:
- Bakery-Style Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- One-Bowl Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Gluten-Free Maple Granola
- Caramelized Pear Oatmeal Bowls
- Healthy Cookie Dough Energy Bites
- Chocolate Granola
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Granola
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Flourless Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, use certified GF if needed, 100 grams
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 tbsp real maple syrup, 40 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 4 scoops your favorite protein powder
- 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp flax meal, (ground flaxseed)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract , optional
- 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, optional – adds a little thickness to the pancakes, and a little extra protein, but totally not necessary if you do need to keep them flourless!
Instructions
- Make the batter: Add the oats to a blender and pulse until you have a fine flour – congratulations, you just made homemade oat flour!Next, add the rest of the ingredients, and pulse until just combined. I recommend scraping down to the bottom of the blender because some of the oat flour will hide down there. After you stir that bit up, give it another few pulses to mix it in.1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, 1 ripe banana, 2 tbsp real maple syrup, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites, 4 scoops your favorite protein powder, 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tbsp flax meal, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- Cook your pancakes: I HIGHLY recommend using a griddle – you can cook more at once and they cook much more evenly. Regardless, heat your pan or griddle to medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Use 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Pour batter onto heated pan and flip pancakes once they are puffy with some bubbles on top, about 1-2 minutes (you can lift the edge of the pancake with your flipper too – if it's golden brown, flip it!). Cook for 1-2 minutes more on the other side.If your pancakes are starting to burn, turn the heat down a bit. Cook a test one first to see if you need medium or medium-high heat.
- Serve + Store: Enjoy warm with butter + syrup, or greek yogurt and fruit to add even more protein and keep the sugar low!Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this with 3 tablespoons dry egg replacer and 3/4 cup water because I’m a vegan. I also added the vital wheat gluten that she recommended. The batter was way too thick so I added 1 cup of soy milk, and it was perfect. What a delicious, and protein packed recipe!!! Thank you!
So glad you liked this recipe, Chelsea! And thanks for sharing those modifications – it’s always helpful for me and other readers to see that. 🙂
These photos are absolutely incredible! I actually have all of the ingredients for this recipe on hand. Breakfast for dinner? HECK YES!
Wow, these flourless pancakes looks amazing way to start the day…I loved that it is ‘One bowl’. I love such easy recipes
As nutritious as pancakes can get! These flourless protein pancakes look so good I can’t wait to try them this weekend – yum!
I think I am in love with meals that can be easily served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They save so much time and are so versatile. Fantastic pancakes recipe!
I’m always looking for a new way to get my kids to eat more protein for breakfast and this a great way to do just that. This recipe is the perfect way to start any day.